I was having a hard time finding a cheap method to switch between two pairs of speakers. I would only want one pair at a time to be on, so no impedance checking would be necessary I'm assuming. I don't need volume control either.
What I'm trying to do is switch between two pairs of rear speakers (in this case towers and dipoles). The towers are great for dvd audio, but the dipoles are great for movies/tv viewing. I was thinking about using relays, but I thought I'd see if a commercially available method was available that uses infrared and also see what the pros do for stuff like this (as I'm a DIY'er).
My relay idea: I have a gc-100 with a 24 volt relay contact rated at 500mA. My idea is to use a simple double pole, double throw relay with the coil hooked to a resistor sized to limit the current seen by the coil or the contact (whichever is most limiting). The current limiting resistor would not be necessary if the coil has a high enough resistance... I think this cost is low, in the $10 range.
Here's the relay I picked out from a google search. QM2X1-D24 is the one I was thinking about using since it appears to have two led's that show the selected speaker. I run Premise, so I can write code to change the volume of the rear speakers through an RS-232 two way connection to the receiver so trimming would not be needed.
Would there be a loud pop as the relay is transitioning states? If so, I'm thinking I'd have code that mutes the system momentarily while switching speakers. Would the momentary lose of the rear speakers damage my amplifier? This I don't know. I believe newer receivers like mine would have no problem with the loss of the rear speakers momentarily as the relay transitions states. Any thoughts?
What I'm trying to do is switch between two pairs of rear speakers (in this case towers and dipoles). The towers are great for dvd audio, but the dipoles are great for movies/tv viewing. I was thinking about using relays, but I thought I'd see if a commercially available method was available that uses infrared and also see what the pros do for stuff like this (as I'm a DIY'er).
My relay idea: I have a gc-100 with a 24 volt relay contact rated at 500mA. My idea is to use a simple double pole, double throw relay with the coil hooked to a resistor sized to limit the current seen by the coil or the contact (whichever is most limiting). The current limiting resistor would not be necessary if the coil has a high enough resistance... I think this cost is low, in the $10 range.
Here's the relay I picked out from a google search. QM2X1-D24 is the one I was thinking about using since it appears to have two led's that show the selected speaker. I run Premise, so I can write code to change the volume of the rear speakers through an RS-232 two way connection to the receiver so trimming would not be needed.
Would there be a loud pop as the relay is transitioning states? If so, I'm thinking I'd have code that mutes the system momentarily while switching speakers. Would the momentary lose of the rear speakers damage my amplifier? This I don't know. I believe newer receivers like mine would have no problem with the loss of the rear speakers momentarily as the relay transitions states. Any thoughts?
Too bad radioshack doesn't carry relays with 24 volt coils. Neurorad tells me I need a max 2 amps rating for speaker switching, so I would think any relay with a fast switching time and contacts greater than 2 amps will work (and of course a 24 volt coil). I was really hoping I wasn't going to be the ginea pig though and that one of you have tried this 
